If the Big Ten calls, Missouri WILL listen and with an enthusiastic ear.

I've been told exactly that by numerous sources close to and within Mizzou.

Missouri officials - although they have not yet openly gone beyond admitting they are frustrated by the Big 12 Conference bowl selection process - know the school is a second-class citizen in the monster that gobbled up the old Big Eight.

"The University of Missouri has not been contacted by the Big 10. Should there be an official inquiry or invitation, we would evaluate it based upon what would be in the best interest of MU athletically and academically."

Thoughts? I like the old Big 8 schools and I'd really like to see Mizzou stay, but I understand their frustration. OTOH, I don't think they're exactly going to be a big dog in the Big Ten. That conference is run by Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. The grass may not necessarily be greener on the other side.

There have also been grumblings Texas is dissatisfied with the Big 12 which seems kinda crazy. Is there a possibility of entire conference breaking up?

Last edited by KCMax on Sun Aug 14, 2011 1:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I'm not sure Mizzou leaving would be beneficial to the Big 10. Their academics aren't up to par with those schools, and they don't bring in a huge TV market. I've heard Rutgers makes the most economic sense because of the NYC market.

I also would hate to see MU leave the Big 12. It would give even more power to the South, depending on if the conf. brought in a new school to take MU's place. KC would also lose a lot of ground in keeping the bball tourney here.

Yeah because they would never be a second class citizen in the B10 &&&&&& Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Missouri - which of these is not like the other? hmmmm The Rose Bowl would be super excited to have 4000 MU fans "pack" the stadium in Pasedena. &&&&&

They will fruitlessly court ND for ten more years before they ever seriously consider looking at anyone else.

If Missouri ever came close to leaving the Big 12 for the Big 10 I'd almost rather see them take nebraska, kansas, kansas state, and one other school (ISU?) with them to form a 16 team power conference. Let the Texas and Oklahoma schools continue to run their conference like they are now, but without 5 other teams to give them clout.

Though I can't imagine in the slightest how a 16 team conference would work in football. You'd almost have to divide it into four 4-team conferences and have 4 division champs playoff.

The money in that unlikely scenerio would most certainly challenge and maybe even eclipse that of what SEC schools are getting. The divisions line up exceptionally well from a geographic standpoint, but from a competitive standpoint they'll have to be jacked up a little.

Geography:

MissouriKSUNebraskakansas

ISUIowaMinnesottaWisconsin

IllinoisNorthwesternIndianiaPurdue

MichiganMichigan StatePenn StateOhio State

Each team plays the other 3 in their division and either 1 or 2 teams from each of the other 3. 1 team from the other 3 only gives 6 conference games, but the winner would ultimately have to play 8 with a four team playoff. 2 teams gives each team 9 conference games and the winner playing 11 - not very likely.

Extremely unlikely to occur, but would be a nice FU to the Big Texas conference.

LenexatoKCMO wrote:Yeah because they would never be a second class citizen in the B10 &&&&&& Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Missouri - which of these is not like the other? hmmmm The Rose Bowl would be super excited to have 4000 MU fans "pack" the stadium in Pasedena. &&&&&

They will fruitlessly court ND for ten more years before they ever seriously consider looking at anyone else.

At least there bowl selection would be based on merit and not on whos coach weighs more.

LenexatoKCMO wrote:Yeah because they would never be a second class citizen in the B10 &&&&&& Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Missouri - which of these is not like the other? hmmmm The Rose Bowl would be super excited to have 4000 MU fans "pack" the stadium in Pasedena. &&&&&

They will fruitlessly court ND for ten more years before they ever seriously consider looking at anyone else.

Of course Missouri won't be at the top of the pecking order in any conference (or any conference that is legit), but maybe a move to the Big 10 is a move to a conference that doesn't require a 75% supermajority to get anything changed - I'm really not sure. That in itself is reason enough to make a switch.

So what exactly is MU's beef with the Big 12? I know it's not all about getting passed up for ISU this year for the Insight Bowl, because this talk of going to the Big 10 has been going on for a while now.

kcmetro wrote:So what exactly is MU's beef with the Big 12? I know it's not all about getting passed up for ISU this year for the Insight Bowl, because this talk of going to the Big 10 has been going on for a while now.

I think they seem to feel they will somehow become a bigger fish if they move to a more prestigious pond.

shaffe wrote:Though I can't imagine in the slightest how a 16 team conference would work in football. You'd almost have to divide it into four 4-team conferences and have 4 division champs playoff.

Whoa.

I don't think idea does anyone any good (KS, NE, IA don't add enough to the Big 10 markets and water down the academic rep; B12North schools lose TX recruiting exposure). Still good for a little diversion, the 4x4 idea intrigues me.

Play a 9-game league schedule...3 teams in division, 4 teams in another division (rotate, home-and-away, 6 year cycle), 2 additional teams either picked random or cycled through, one of which is a designated rival (in parentheses) and is preserved when you're not playing that division.

kcmetro wrote:So what exactly is MU's beef with the Big 12? I know it's not all about getting passed up for ISU this year for the Insight Bowl, because this talk of going to the Big 10 has been going on for a while now.

From the very beginning Missouri officials weren't 100% on board with how the 4 Texas schools were brought on board. Many close to the university, and I'm sure several at other north schools save possibly Nebraska, probably foresaw the unbalance that was destined to occur.

I don't think any Missouri officials would consider a move to the Big 10 would make them a power player in that conference, but the increased revenues (both academically and athletically) and the hopeful academic boost gained from association with the other 11 schools, could be well worth it. They'd still be a second class citizen, but they'd be a richer second class citizen in a conference that has shown that it gives a shit about more than 3 schools.

I don't see how this would help Mizzou in any way. They would still be behind OSU, Penn St. and Michigan in the old boys club for football (which is a worse old boys club, media wise, than that of UT, OU, and Nebraska). In basketball, they would always be step-child to Indiana and Michigan State, with Ohio State and Michigan to contend with as far as history goes. KC exposure for Mizzou would taper off dramatically if they weren't in the Big XII, seeing as how they would be overwhelmingly outnumbered by Big XII fans in the metro area.

The Big 10 currently has no championship game in football. Say what you want about that, but at least Mizzou has had a shot to put themselves into a BCS game with one victory, whereas equal records in the Big 10 will always go to Mich, OSU, or Penn St. Texas recruiting would suffer as players would get little exposure back home. Not to mention a loss of meaning to many 100+ year old rivalries in all sports.